Formaldehyde preparation.



UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

FORMALDEHYDE PREPARATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed April 18, 1903. Serial No. 153,330. (Specimen-l To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SPENCER -BLAOKMORE, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in a New Composition of Matter for Disinfectant, Gcrmicide, and Other Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a new article of manufacture or composition of matter for disinfecting, germicide, antiseptic and medicinal purposes and consists of a mixture, compound or solution of formic aldehyde or its polymerides in an oXy-acid ester, such as methyl-benzoic ester, methyl-salicylic ester, amyl-acetic ester, etc., or compositions con taining oXy-acid esters, which compounds or compositions may or may not be associated with other vehicles or medicatin agents, the object being to produce a so lution of formic aldehyde or its polyinerides which will be of permanent nature in relation to s ontaneous decomposition and which, in

uid condition, may be readily utilized without producin disagreeable effects.

As a' specific illustration of my new composition and the manner in which the same is made, I will take for example the production of a solution of formic aldehyde in methylbenzoic ester (methyl benzoate). .The manner in which I prefer to produce this solution of formic aldehyde or its polymerides is to place the desired ester, such as methylbenzoic ester, in .a proper container and expose it to the presence of formic aldehyde under increased pressure at the same time agitating it whereby the formic aldehyde becomes absorbed, occluded, or retained therein. When the ester has become saturated with formic aldehyde it is removed, the formic aldehyde content ascertained by test, and the composition diluted with more ester or other diluent to obtain the percentage content of the formic aldehyde desired.

The polymerides of formic aldehyde such as para -formaldehyde or trioxymethylene may be dissolved in the ester, preferably by the action of heat, producing compounds not departing from the spirit of my invention, as,

upon heating in the formation of the. composition, formic aldehyde is generated in the presence of the oXy-acid esterand absorbed thereby and the composition is found to have a like disinfectant, gerinicide, antiseptic and medicinal property and to all intents and purposes may be considered and is herein included as an equivalent composition in accordance with my invention.

I- have found it of advantage to employ compositions containing esters and formic aldehyde diluted with a vehicle such as camphor oil in which case it is found to act with satisfaction as an aerial disinfectant, inasmuchas the camphor oil and ester is volatile at ordinary atmospheric pressure and temperature and saturates the air coming in contact therewith with formic aldehyde and the ester which, having a pleasant characteristic odor, perfumes the air and obviates the disagreeable pungcnt effect which usually accompanies the application of formic aldehyde per se. v

I have found that formic aldehyde andits polymerides may be readily assimilated with the oXy-acid esters and that the said oxyacid esters act to mediate the usual disagreeable and pungent e'll'ects arising from the a plication of the formic aldehyde per se and tffat the said oXy-acid esters, having characteristic odors, serve to disguise the formic aldehyde when applied without deteriorating or destroying its effectiveness as a disinfectant. l have also found that the oxyacid esters not only act as a solvent of the formic aldehyde or its polymerides but may be employed as a carrier or solvent agent to introduce formic aldehyde into other vehicles in which it is less soluble and in which event solutions of formic aldehyde in esters per 86,

product of an oxy-acid. It may be noted also that the esters, as a rule, are incompatimethylene and intermediate ble with water or non-miscible with or repellant thereto.

The term formic aldehyde employed throughout this specification and claims is intended to include its polymerides or equivalents, such as para-formaldehyde or trioxypolymerization products as well as formic aldehyde per se, and the term oxy-acid ester to what may be termed an alkyl salt or substitution product of an oxy-acid i. 6., an acid containing oxygen, which esters may be either'obtained from nature or artificially or synthetically prepared.

The advantage obtained by employing oxyacid-esters as solvents for formic aldehyde, other than those already set forth, may be noted as the facility with which they a pear to transform oxygen into an ozone-1i e character which, in combination with formic aldehyde, produces a composition of 'great effectiveness for disinfectant, germicide and similar purposes.

It may be noted that formicaldehyde, which is a gas, unites or combines more readily with oxy-acid esters and becomes more readily assimilated or retained or occluded therein in a more permanent manner and in a larger percentage without danger of polymerization than is the case with aqueous solutions. 1

The'largest percentage of formic aldehyde obtained under ordinary conditions in aqueous solution does not exceed forty per cent., whereas oxy-acid esters have the property of transforming or occluding gaseous formic'aldehyde into a liquid condition with such avidity and permanency that solutions even up to eighty per cent. formic aldehyde have been produced without polymerization into solid fproducts, at the saine time the valuable disin ectant and germicide properties of the formic aldehyde have not been deteriorated but in fact seem to be enhanced by its union or composition with the oxy-acid ester solvent or vehicle.

The term containing oxy-acid ester as em loyed in this specification and claims,

wit reference to the vehicle for the formic aldehyde has reference to oxy-a'cid esters per 86 or inert diluent containing the same in any desired proportion.

The term inert as employed herein is intended to imply a diluent inert with reference to the formic aldehyde and oXy-acid ester content of the composition.

e my invention is articularly applicable to the employment 0 the esters of oxyacids of the aromatic series such as benzoic, sal1cy1ic,-ci11namic, etc. which esters are volatile, aromaticand water-repellant, still Ido not desire to confine-myself to this specific class of oxy-acid esters but reserve the right to employ any oxy-acid ester be it either fluid or solid, as a solvent or vehicle, either per se or in composition with other diluents, for formic aldehyde or its polymer1des.

Having now described my-inventlon, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A new compos1t1 on of matter consist ng of an aromatic oxy-acid ester containing formic aldehyde.

2. A new composition of matter containing formic aldehyde and an anhydrous ester of the aromatic acid series.

3. A new composition of matter containing formic aldehyde and methyl-benzolc ester.

4. A newcomposition of matter consisting of formic aldehyde, an oxy-acid ester and camp'hor oil.

5. Anew composition of matter consisting of formic aldehyde," methyl-benzoic ester and camphor oil.

6. The process of making the new composition of matter herein set forth which con sists in generating formic aldehyde in the presence of an anhydrous oxy-acid ester and exposing the same to intimate association until the formic aldehyde has become associated therewith or occluded therein.

7. The process of making the new composition of matter herein set forth which consists in mixing an anhydrous oxy-acid ester with formic aldehyde and exposing the sameto intimate association until the formic aldehyde has become associated therewith or oceluded therein.

8. The process of making the new composition of matter herein set forth which consists in mixing an anhydrous oxy-acid ester with dry formic aldehyde and exposing the same to intimate association until the formic I aldehyde has become associated therewith or 4 occluded therein.

10. The process of makingthe new composition of matter herein set forth, which 'consists in mixing a benzoic ester with formic aldehyde and exposing the same to intimate association until the formic aldehyde has become associated therewith or occluded therein.

1 1. The process of making the new composition of matter herein set forth, which consists in mixing methyl benzoic ester with formic aldehyde and exposing the same to intimate association until the formic aldehyde has become associated therewith or 00- I ing formic aldehyde, a benzoic ester, and

eluded therein. camphor oil. I0 12 A new composition of matter contain; In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, ing formic aldehyde and a benzoic ester. I in presence of two witnesses.

5 13. A new composition of matter contain- HENRY SPENCER BLAOKMORE.

ing formic aldehyde, 9. benzoic ester, and an Witnesses: inert diluent. C. O. WRIGHT,

14. A new composition of matter contein- H. N. JENKINS. 

